Day 9: Spokane, WA | Sunday Evening FH-Time
Rose thought she was going to die. Or that her soul would shrivel as horror and shock consumed her. The world had to end now. It couldn't keep going after this, and Rose wanted to sink down next to Mason's body and die with him.
Elena released her, turning towards Mason's body.
Rose stopped thinking. She stopped feeling. She just acted.
"Don't. Touch. Him." She couldn't recognize her own voice, it was so distorted with feeling.
Elena rolled her eyes. "God, you're annoying," she said as she knelt down on the floor. "Maybe Isaiah's right - you do need to suffer before dying." She leaned to flip Mason over on his back.
"Don't touch him!" Rose repeated, screaming this time. She tried to shove Elena out of the way, bouncing off as the Strigoi shoved back and almost knocked her over.
Rose stumbled back, doing everything in her power to steady her feet and stay upright.
Isaiah chuckled, full of amused interest as he bent to pick up Rose's chotki that fell out of her pocket. "Ah, the Dragomirs," he mused. "I'd for-
Suddenly there was an explosion. The aquarium burst apart as they watched, pieces of the glass flying towards Rose. But the attention of the room was on the water coalescing in the air into a lopsided sphere. The sphere floated slowly towards Isaiah.
Isaiah watched the water, more puzzled than scared until it wrapped itself around his face and started suffocating him. Suffocation wouldn't kill a Strigoi, but it wouldn't be fun for him either.
His hands flew to his face, trying to 'pry' the water away, but his fingers simply slipped through with no effect at all.
Elena jumped to her feet, forgetting about Mason. "What is it?" she shrieked. She shook Isaiah, in what was obviously the best way to free him. "What's happening?"
Rose's hand closed around a large, jagged piece of glass from the aquarium. The edges cut into her hand, but she refused to feel - just acted.
With a surge of speed, she closed the distance and plunged the shard into Isaiah's chest. Dimitri had shown her over and over again where the heart was, and she worked to force the glass right there.
Isaiah tried to scream in pain, the water blocking his attempts to take a breath.
Another moment later and the glass hit home as he collapsed to floor, blacking out from the pain.
If Rose had been smart, she'd have taken advantage of Elena's shock to sprint for the still open door and the sun's light. Instead she ran to the fireplace, grabbing one of the antique swords hanging above and turned back towards Elena.
Bitch had wanted to touch Mason, to drink from him. She was going to pay.
Rose sidestepped to evade Elena's grab as she tried to get used to the sword. Edmund's lessons were coming in handy though she doubted he'd intended her to use a dull blade. Still, she used the sword to keep distance between her and the Strigoi, her motions mostly effective.
Elena's fangs flashed as she snarled at Rose. "I'm going to make you -"
"Suffer, pay, regret I was ever born?" Rose snarked. She didn't care anymore. She might already be dead, but she was taking Elena with her.
She couldn't be on the defensive the entire fight. The Strigoi was too fast, too agile, and Rose moved to an attack, jabbing forward to try to land a blow on Elena. Something - anything, but she anticipated every move.
A small noise - Isaiah starting to come around - startled Elena as she tried to dodge the insane girl with the sword. She glanced back just for a split-second and forgot to dodge Rose's strike.
Her shirt flapped open, and even if the sword had just barely grazed her skin, she flinched, panicking at the thought of that glass shard going through Isaiah's heart.
And that was all Rose needed.
She pulled herself together and drew the sword back, swinging for Elena's neck.
The vampire didn't move fast enough, and the sword hit, cutting deep. A horrible shriek made Rose's skin crawl, but she stayed focused. Killing the Strigoi. That was all.
Rose struck again and again, not letting Elena take initiative back, forcing her to her knees as the sword cut deeper and deeper through her neck. It was harder to cut off a head than Rose ever expected. Possibly the fact the blade was dull wasn't helping.
It took a moment, but Rose finally realised Elena wasn't moving anymore. Her head lay on the ground, completely severed from her body as her eyes stared up at Rose in disbelief.
There was still screaming though, and Rose couldn't figure out how Elena still screamed until she looked up.
Mia stood in the doorway, her eyes bugging out as she tried to stay upright.
Her water magic - exploding the aquarium and strangling Isaiah had taken more out of her than she had, but she managed to stay up even as she screamed in horror at the scene.
Isaiah started to rise to his own feet, still obviously shaken at the loss of consciousness. It had been a long time since someone had actually hurt him. He had almost forgotten what it felt like
Seeing his movement, Rose had crossed the room before he could manage it. She wielded the sword again, blood spraying with each blow and Isaiah fell back to the floor.
All she could see was him breaking Mason's neck over and over, and she hacked and swung and and cut, trying desperately to erase the memory and bring Mason back. She could barely see except through a hate-filled red filter, and she couldn't stop trying to kill the Strigoi who'd hurt her so much.
"Rose! Rose!" Mia stepped into the room, trying to call to the other girl, trying to get her to stop or think or something other than hack away at a corpse. "Rose, he's dead!"
She wasn't quite willing to touch her. Right now, she didn't quite trust Rose not to come after her next, but Mia couldn't let her keep on as she was.
Her arms shaking, Rose slowly stopped her swing and dared to look down at Isaiah.
His body lay there, his head, however, had rolled across the room from the force of the blows.
Mia was right. He was very, very dead.
Rose looked up, focusing on Mia for a second then blankly scanning the blood-covered room before looking at the girl again. She only had two thoughts in her mind: kill the Strigoi and protect Mason. Nothing else mattered.
"Rose," Mia whispered, her voice filled with fear. She was trembled as she tried to summon the bravery to touch Rose. "Rose, please, we have to go. Come on."
She was terrified. The Strigoi were dead. It was Rose she was terrified of.
Rose shook her head, looking down at Isaiah's body again. Everything seemed to take a long time, like the world had slowed down.
Finally she crawled towards Mason's body, still clutching the sword in a white-knuckled hand. "No," she whispered. "I can't leave him. Other Strigoi might come..."
She might want to cry. Her eyes burned, but she didn't know. There was only the anger, the bloodlust pounding through her.
"We'll come back, Rose," Mia pleased. "We'll come back for him, but if other Strigoi come, we have to get out."
"No." Rose repeated, ignoring Mia now. "I'm not leaving him alone. I can't leave him." She stroked Mason's hair back off his face, leaving unnoticed bloody streaks.
"Rose -" Mia took a few steps forward.
"Get out!" she screamed. "Leave us alone."
With a snarl, Rose lifted the sword, making Mia freeze.
"Go find the others," Rose said, more quietly.
Not taking her eyes off Rose, obviously terrified she might attack, Mia backed up towards the door. She gave Rose one more pleading look before taking off running into the outside.
Silence. Finally there was silence, and Rose could relax her hand on her sword. She slumped forward, resting her head on Mason's chest.
Nothing else mattered. She couldn't leave him alone, and that was all. Protecting Mason was the only thing keeping her from her own terrors. If she could just protect him, she could continue to refuse he was dead, to disbelieve that she'd just summoned death.
She just had to pretend it didn't happen.
[OOC: OMG it's actually for interaction. For guardian_god at least. Warnings for violence and gore.]
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